Fly Tying in Rongai

In many ways, the Rift Valley town of Rongai has about what you’d expect to find in an African village, aside from the fact that it has a growing fly-tying business. In a hut on its outskirts, Peter Sigei instructs students on tying predominately salmon flies right now, he says, which are sent to Ireland and the United Kingdom. However, domestic demand is also strong and they fill orders to send to Africa’s coasts, “fresh water flies for the anglers on Lake Victoria and larger, salt water flies for the east coast fishermen.”

And while currently operating as sub-contractors, “we want to go on our own,” Sigei says. “We want to go international.”